This Is How We Do It!

Do your little ones put their mittens on and then wonder why they can't zip up their jacket, or put their boots on first and then get their feet stuck inside their snowpants?

I found that if I put a picture prompt poster up in the hallway that listed the articles of clothing that should be put on first, second and third etc. my Y5's not only got ready so much faster, but I had a teachable moment for them to learn ordinal numbers.

No more taking stuff off to start over again.  For many of my little peanuts they barely had time to play because they were taking so long to get dressed to go out for a 10-minute recess!

I gave them the added incentive of having a sticker snowflake-star chart of who got done the quickest. 

The first three done, got snowflake stickers.  10-stickers meant a trip to the treasure box.  This incentive got things moving quickly.

What boot to put on always posed a problem too, until I had a room helper, cut silver Duct tape squares with me.

We stuck them on the right toe of everyone's right boot and taught students to put their right boot on FIRST. (The one with the silver square on it!)

It was a lifesaver as well as timesaver!  Print off several posters and put them up in various locations in your hallway, by your students' lockers.

Review the posters and what the pictures mean, so children know the order of how to get dressed. 
I included the line about socks, because for some unknown reasons, many of my little ones were peeling them off along with their shoes.

I hope this poster helps your students get ready fast, so they can get outside, get those wiggles out, and have a great recess.  Click on the link to view/download This Is How We Get Ready! winter poster.

Thank you for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find helpful.  Do you have a getting ready tip you could share with us? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or leave a comment here.

"Quality schools are the result of quality teachers and deidicated staff going above and beyond the call of duty." -Unknown